Court loosens limits on election ads

Court loosens limits on election ads

www.msnbc.msn.com

The Supreme Court loosened restrictions Monday on corporate- and union-funded television ads that air close to elections, weakening a key provision of a landmark campaign finance law.

The court, split 5-4, in upholding an appeals court ruling that an anti-abortion group should have been allowed to air ads during the final two months before the 2004 elections.

The case involved advertisements that Wisconsin Right to Life was prevented from broadcasting.

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I think this is the right decision. I have always believed that more speech is better than no speech. We're actually going to silence dissenting voices for two months before an election?

The science behind interest groups and political speech implies that we are moving in the wrong direction in our approach to political financing. Allowing money into the process breeds more information for the voter. As apocryphal as it is to say, today our electorate is more informed than at any time in American history.

Furthermore, the more you restrict the money, the more it is going to find its way into the systems. Soft money? 527's? This is an unstoppable train. Let's have full, immediate disclosure. Then, when Candidate X is supported by the NRA or the unions, we'll all know and be in a better position to know where our candidates' loyalties lie.

www.msnbc.msn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 6/25/2007 by Togetic]